


periodic kisses

by mugiz



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Angst with a Happy Ending, Awkward Tension, Boys Kissing, Cuddling & Snuggling, Cute, Developing Relationship, Falling In Love, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Getting to Know Each Other, High School Students NCT Dream, Jensung don't know how to act around each other, Kissing, Lee Jeno is Whipped, Light Angst, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Mutual Pining, NCT Dream Ensemble Are Best Friends, OT7 NCT Dream, Rare Pairings, Science partners Jensung, Shy Park Jisung (NCT), Sleepy Cuddles, Sweet Lee Jeno, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-26
Updated: 2020-04-27
Packaged: 2021-03-01 01:27:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,542
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23326987
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mugiz/pseuds/mugiz
Summary: In which Lee Jeno and Park Jisung get paired up for a Chemistry project.The problem is, Jeno and Jisung have never been anything more than two people part of the same friend group, that is, up until now.
Relationships: Huang Ren Jun/Lee Donghyuck | Haechan, Lee Jeno & Park Jisung, Lee Jeno/Na Jaemin/Zhong Chen Le, Lee Jeno/Park Jisung, implied
Comments: 10
Kudos: 65





	1. chem partners

**Author's Note:**

> i love jensung dynamics so much anyways here is a lab partners!jensung fic hope yall enjoy

“We’re Chem partners.” were Jeno’s first words, accompanied by a very awkward and flustered version of the classic Jeno eye smile, as he flopped down next to Renjun at the lunch table. The seven of them were all sitting there together (a little bit squished, nonetheless, comfortably): Renjun, Jaemin, Donghyuck, Chenle, Jisung, Mark and him.

It was admittedly the first time they had done so since they started the new semester, hindered by all their individual classes and extracurriculars, as well as their separate social lives, the seven of them rarely found time for each other anymore. They had all about broken down into their own sub-friend-groups by the middle of the year—not with hard feelings, more so as a natural response to their mismatched schedule. Yet, it felt nice to be together as a complete friend group again.

And Jeno knew he was about to make things slightly awkward (at least for himself and another mysterious someone) right about then.

The others continued on with chatting and eating their lunch before Jeno finally got a half-hearted, but still very much appreciated, response from Renjun.

“Who is we?” the silver-haired boy asked, slightly grimacing at the sweaty post-basketball Jeno next to him. Jeno knew Renjun was only pretending to care, the only thing motivating him to even reply was the desire to preserve their longtime friendship, or possibly the mild curiosity that had spawned from Jeno’s very ambiguous ‘We’ in his statement. It was probably the latter.

“Us!” Jeno exasperatedly exclaimed, waving his arms rapidly at a  _ very _ indistinguishable subject. Renjun had zero idea who Jeno was talking about.

“‘We’ is not a group of people, ‘We’ is french for ‘Yes’.” Chenle laughed, followed by Mark. The two were inseparable for their similar bad sense of humor and ability to interrupt a situation with unwanted corny jokes. The joke earned them judgemental stares from the others before they all went back to the topic at hand.

“So?” Donghyuck asked, staring at Jeno.

Jeno cleared his throat.

Before he could reply, Jisung had already beat him to the punch, “He means me. Jeno and I are lab partners for this semesters’ final. Which means we’ll be spending the entire semester designing and working on our lab together.” The younger boy had already started nervously chewing on his lips and playing with his thumb in an attempt to avoid the amused stares of the rest of his friend group.

Everyone else broke into a fit of laughter. Well, everyone but Jeno.

“Why’d you have to announce that to us? More importantly, why did you make it seem so serious?” Jaemin asked, in between slapping Mark’s back with tears in his eyes and scrambling for air due to laughing too hard, “You guys are too adorable.”

“Because we felt like you guys would want to know! In case we were hanging out more than usual!” Jisung exclaimed, his cheeks turning a concerning shade of red.

“Yeah, what Jisung said.” Jeno murmured, his face turning a similar shade.

“Jeno and you see each other every day. We literally hangout like every two weeks at least. What’s the big deal?” Donghyuck laughed.

“Well, we don’t really socialize, um, one-on-one, so we thought you guys should know,” Jeno explained, flustered.

“Socialize one-on-one.” Renjun snickered under his breath.

“All right, that was very nice of you to announce your engagement to us. We’ll be sure to attend the wedding, don’t worry.” Chenle giggled, before going back to eating his lunch.

Mark continued to laugh under his breath.

Jeno and Jisung exchanged embarrassed looks across the table. “We are not engaged.” Jeno awkwardly responded.

“I know, it’s called a joke!”

Jeno loved Chenle to death, and Jeno had familiarized himself with the nature of Chenle’s jokes, but not when they involved Jisung. And definitely  _ not _ when they involved Jisung and  _ him _ . As more than two people who were part of the same friend group who occasionally saw each other at lunch.

Jisung and Jeno had never been anything beyond that.

Jeno reassured himself it was going to stay that way, at least in the way he planned it. But Jeno’s plans never turned out the way he wanted them to. Though frankly, Jeno wouldn’t mind actually befriending Park Jisung. So Jeno let his plan fail.

And this is the story of that.


	2. soap. water. paper. hand-dryer.

“You said you hated me.”

“I did  _ not  _ say that!”

“You said I wasn’t cute!”

“Which is in no way the same thing! How did you infer that I hated you from that?”

“You were very insistent on the fact!”

“Oh yeah? So that’s what this is about?”

“Yeah! This is  _ exactly _ what this is about! Admit it, you hate me and would much prefer doing the project with someone like–” Jisung’s eyebrows furrowed together as he waved into thin air, “Like Lucas! Exactly, you and Lucas are always borrowing each others’ pens in class and he doesn’t have a partner yet. Why don’t you just go do the project with him?”

A frown appeared on Jeno’s face. Jeno who never frowned. Jeno who always had a goofy smile on his face and twinkling eyes. And suddenly, Jisung was aware of the gravity of what he had done. He had managed to piss off Jeno, the smiliest person on Earth, and he had no idea what happened when Jeno was upset.

“Really. Lucas. Jisung, don’t make this about Lucas.”

When Jeno said Jisung’s name like that, Jisung wanted to cry. Jisung hated being treated like a baby, scolded like a child who didn’t understand shit. And it made it ten times worse coming from Jeno, who Jisung swore held himself to the highest standard when it came to maturity, who probably didn’t want  _ Jisung _ , a crybaby, in his friend group.

“I’m not…” Frustration was painted across Jisung’s face.

“Then what is this about? I’m perfectly fine with doing the project with you!”

“The way you announced it back at lunch didn’t make it seem that way! I know you’re being nice, but I think you should be honest and we should tell Mr. Lee that there is no way in hell we are doing this project together.” Jisung’s breath hitched, “And that you’ll be doing it with Lucas.”

Jeno wanted to scream. The empty men’s bathroom after hours was the last place they should be having this conversation. He hated the way the smell of teenage pee was making the discussion even more irritating than it was already worse. He hated the way Jisung washed and dried his hands every few seconds time to stall, making it seem like they weren’t doing anything beyond normal bathroom conventions. And he hated the way every time someone occasionally walked past, they would peer in and leave, instantaneously making the decision not to pee.

Jeno let out a sigh, “I’m not pretending to be nice! It’s frustrating that you think I’m being anything but honest right now. You were perfectly fine when I asked you after the random name picking if you were okay being partners. You seemed perfectly fine at lunch when we were announcing it! So why are you chickening out now? Do  _ you  _ hate me? Because there is no way in hell I hate you, Jisung. We’ve been friends for 3 years now!”

“Sort-of friends.” Jisung murmured, correcting Jeno. Soap. Water. Paper. Hand-dryer.

“Well. I guess. So what is it? And don’t you dare tell me it’s because I said you weren’t cute and that I hate you.”

Jisung didn’t even quite know anymore. Was the ‘Jeno hating him’ thing just his own way of making an excuse, of lying to himself? Was there something else that bothered him about working with Jeno? Jisung knew. But he didn’t want to admit it to  _ Jeno _ of all people, who would definitely laugh at him if he ever knew the truth.

Jisung opened his mouth slightly, immediately closing it.

“Spill. I know you have something to say.” Jeno couldn’t believe he was standing around all day waiting for Jisung to spill something that was probably not a big deal, but Jeno wanted to. Because he wasn’t risking being awkward with Jisung forever until the end of the year when he graduated and never saw the younger ever again.

“Fine... It was what Chenle said. Happy now?” Jisung’s brows furrowed up again, his cheeks puffed up in exasperation.

“Chenle?” Jeno paused, “But you’re never bothered by Chenle’s jokes.”

Jisung shrugged, “I don’t know. Yeah, it’s stupid. I’m pathetic, I don’t know why this time, I feel so… so… so weird about it? You know? We joke around affectionately all the time. Like I guess Jaemin kisses Mark’s cheeks and Donghyuck and Renjun bicker like a married couple and no one ever cares. So I don’t know why I had to be overdramatic about it this time…” He looked down at the floor. It was gross (the floor, but also his ongoing meltdown), “Sorry.”

“No. I get it. It’s- it’s because it’s  _ us _ , isn’t it?” Whatever that meant. But both of them understood the implications of the simple two letters that Jeno had said.

“Hm.” Jisung nodded, making himself smaller so he didn’t look like the overgrown teenage boy that he was.

Jeno ran a hand through his messy hair, letting out the breath he didn’t realize he had been holding in. It was like all the anger had unfurled out of his body and all that was left was pity, and a little sadness that Jisung felt so uncomfortable being around him, and joking around him.

Gently taking Jisung’s overwashed slightly pruney, but nonetheless ridiculously soft, hands, Jeno pulled Jisung out of the bathroom that they had already been in for what seemed like nearly an hour, “C’mon Ji, let’s get out of here.”

“Ji?” Jisung whispered, finally meeting Jeno’s eyes.

“Sorry, I should’ve asked you if I could call you that.”

“No, it’s… it’s fine.” And Jisung almost felt relieved. Relieved that Jeno wasn’t angry at him anymore for overreacting. Relieved that despite everything Jisung said, Jeno still wanted to be lab partners with him. Relieved that in their 3 years of sort-of friendship, Jeno was calling him something other than Jisung (which Jeno always uttered in a way that was too formal and awkward). And from that relief, the faintest hint of a smile crossed Jisung’s lips.

“Let’s go,” Jeno smiled, hoping to cheer up the younger, even if it was just a little, “Okay?”

Jisung laughed, and before he knew it, Lee Jeno who had never made the effort to get to know Jisung was holding Jisung’s very own pruney dampened hand and leading him out of the men’s bathroom (a place he never thought he might wound up in with Lee Jeno).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> inspired by that one time jeno said jisung wasn't cute... this fic is not good for my soul... anyways am working on the next chapter stay tuned.


	3. exchanging smiles

Jisung was in Jeno’s car. Jeno was blasting The 1975 from the speakers. Jeno was bouncing along secretly to the music (Jisung was amused). Jeno was driving, one hand on the steering wheel, the other hand tapping to the beat on his thigh (Jisung was definitely not staring).

Jeno turned to Jisung, a gentle smile dawning on his face, “Are you okay with waiting while I work my shift?”

A little surprised, Jisung jolted, “Hm? Oh yeah, I have nothing else to do. Maybe I’ll work on our paper while I’m there, grab something light to eat.” Wow. Was Jisung bad at socialization or was it just the ‘being trapped in a car with Lee Jeno’ effect? It could be both.

Finger-drumming along to the music, Jisung shifted his eyes to the rearview mirror, where he could barely study the corner of Jeno’s face. Jeno’s face with its long lashes, and his messy bangs. Jeno’s face where his nerdy (although Jisung admitted, Jeno somehow pulled it off) glasses rested. Jeno’s face where the trace of a smile permanently lived. This was the first time Jisung had properly looked at Jeno in the 3 years of their acquaintance, Jisung was surprised to realize that he never had a chance to  _ not _ avoid eye contact with the older boy until today. And Jisung was even more surprised when he realized that, well, Jeno was almost, good-looking.

“Why’s your face so red?”

“What? Huh?” Jisung’s eyes widened.

“Did I max out on the heating? Sorry, fall’s ending, it’s getting pretty chilly outside.”

“Um, no, it’s not that. It’s okay, I just have this condition.” God, Jisung was terrible at lying.

Jeno raised an eyebrow, giving Jisung a quizzical look before smiling, “What condition?”

“You wouldn’t know.” Jisung awkwardly replied.

“Okay,” Jeno laughed, “I’m parking the car here and we’ll walk there, okay?”

Jisung nodded, glancing over at Jeno, who was looking out the window, concentration apparent on his face as he parked the car as carefully as he could.

Jisung quietly laughed, “You look like my mom when she parks.”

Jeno stopped. A millisecond of silence followed before he broke into laughter. That was the most Jisung had ever heard Jeno laugh, and God, Jisung could drown in that laugh. Jeno’s laugh was like the leftover milk after you finished all the cereal: sweetly comforting. But it was weird to think of  _ Jeno _ ’s laugh that way, so Jisung halted his own thoughts before they could spiral even more.

“Is that supposed to be a compliment?”

“Yeah! I mean, like, you look very… adult?”

“No idea if that’s a good thing but since it’s coming from you, thanks.”

Jeno had no idea if that was a good thing but Jisung had no idea what Jeno said meant. What difference it made that Jisung was the one complimenting when Jeno was everyone’s favorite person, when everyone who knew Jeno adored him infinitely. Despite his endless thoughts, Jisung murmured a curt “Hm. You’re welcome. It’s nothing.”

Jeno gave Jisung a thankful smile before turning off the car engine and opening the door. Jisung followed suit, sliding out of the car, backpack slung over his shoulder. Now that there was no music blasting from the stereo, and all that was left was silence, Jisung realized how nice it was. Spending time with Jeno, Jeno who didn’t quite talk as much as Jisung’s other friends—like Hyuck or Chenle or Jaemin—, Jeno who was comfortable with exchanging smiles in lieu of abundant words, Jeno who was nice to Jisung despite how badly Jisung misjudged his character, spending time with Jeno in front of this sunset backdrop that looked like it had come right out of a movie.

As they walked side by side, both saying little, staring at their feet, Jeno reflected on what it all meant. Jeno never planned on having to calm Jisung down from a meltdown over a joke, nor did he plan on holding Jisung’s hand, or driving Jisung with The 1975 in the background, or walking Jisung to the convenient store where he worked. Jeno didn’t plan on really befriending Jisung. No, they were meant to stay casual Chem partners, study in the library, discuss details over text, keep their distance, not do visits to each other’s houses, not whatever  _ this _ was.

But Jeno was enjoying it too much, enjoying the fact that they weren’t screaming at each other like they were an hour ago, enjoying that Jisung didn’t seem like he was avoiding Jeno all the time, like he hated Jeno.

“We’re here,” Jeno hesitated, “Ji.”

Jisung looked up, finally seeing the convenient store that Jeno worked at.

An hour of tiring waiting went by as Jisung sat at a table and did some introductory research into the topic of their Chem lab. Occasionally, he would glance at Jeno working the register and think  _ things _ about their supposed friendship, now that it was more than simply knowing each other as part of the same friend group.

“Shift’s over, let’s get out of here.” Jeno tapped Jisung on the shoulder as he was concentrating on his laptop screen.

“M’kay, I’ll pack up.”

Jeno laughed. Jisung was confused.

“Sorry, it’s just that when you’re frustrated and angry at me you’re so  _ loud _ . And now that we’re kind of, um, chill with each other, you’re the complete opposite.”

Jisung’s ears turned red. Sure, he had been quiet the entire afternoon, but only because he was not going to risk saying something even more stupid to jeopardize what seemed like a developing friendship with Jeno, “I’m not! That’s just how I usually am.” Jisung stuttered.

“Jisung you talk  _ all _ the time! And sure, you’re not the loudest person, but you sure as hell have a lot to say. I don’t want you to feel weird around me or anything.”

Jisung nodded rapidly, “Yeah. I’m not being weird. It’s just- I don’t want you to think I’m annoying or anything!”

Jeno raised a brow, “Ji, I’ll never think you’re annoying. Honestly, I’ve always… liked you.” Jeno paused, “As a friend. Or as a person, I don’t know.” He quickly added.

“Why’d you never talk to me then?”

“What?” Jeno was taken aback by the impromptu question. He should’ve seen this coming, “The opportunity just never came up, you know how it is. You’re surrounded all the time, everyone fucking adores you. I would just feel weird, intruding on that.”

Jisung frowned, but decided to leave the conversation there. Jeno thought everyone adored Jisung, but Jisung thought that Jeno was the most popular person in the world.

“Okay, we’re going to my house, yeah?” Jeno broke the silence.

Jisung looked out through the window. The sky was dark already. “Okay let’s walk to your car.” He gathered up all his materials and quickly stuffed them into his backpack before glancing at Jeno, who looked mildly guilty.

Jisung felt bad for putting Jeno on the spot, so he gave Jeno a smile. A genuine one, a real classic Park Jisung smile, the type that was so endearing and kind it could only come from a kid’s cartoon character.

Jeno had never felt so relieved, and so that smile would be forever etched in his memory.

As the second time he fell in love with Park Jisung.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> idfk anymore this fic is messy but my brain is just JENSUNG!!! 24 hours anyways thank u for reading, i appreciate all of u! :D


	4. jisung

**Jeno’s Sophomore Year, 1st Day of the Year**

It was the first day of school and Jeno’s phone was already blowing up with messages. The summer had treated Jeno well. For him, it had mostly been the combination of playing basketball, practicing guitar and sleeping for entire days on end. Now, Jeno was back at school, and he didn’t know how to feel. In a sense, it was like a bittersweet reunion with an old frenemy. Except that old frenemy was being bombarded with assignments, and of course texts from Renjun.

_‘Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!’_

Jeno looked down at his phone.

“00’ and mark hag

Renjun who lights up the world: jeno

Renjun who lights up the world: JEN

Renjun who lights up the world: JENO CHECK YOUR FUCKING EMAIL

NaJaems: renjunnie no hello for your favorite classmate in the world :-( ?”

Jeno sighed. It was amusing that his friends were being so affectionate with the hundreds of text messages they were sending, but sleepy Jeno was not ready for whatever business anyone was emailing him about on a Monday morning. Not just any Monday morning either. A dreaded first day of school Monday morning.

“Subject: Orientation for Freshmen”

_Fuck._

“Dear Jeno,

I apologize for bothering you on the first day of school, and I’m sure you’re still adjusting. However, something has just come up and I’ve been tasked with the job of finding a returning student to help out with the Freshmen orientation. You were on StuCo last year and I trust that you would be the best person for the job. It’ll start second period and last until lunch (tour starts on the track field). I’ll be supervising you and I’ve already emailed all your teachers in that time period to inform them that you won’t be attending classes for legitimate reasons.

Please bring a positive mindset and any personal experiences in Highschool that you want to share!

Best,

Mr. Kim

PS. Before you ask why I didn’t ask Renjun, it’s because he sucks at talking to kids and he said he had an audition to go to. I appreciate your compliance.”

Mr. Kim (or simply “Doyoung”, as Renjun liked to call him) was the Physics teacher, Renjun’s mentor and the supervisor of almost every random club you could think of. This was expected, seeing that he had met Renjun through the boy’s request to start an Alien Conspiracy Club in Freshman year, after almost every other teacher had declined the offer to supervise such a purposeless activity. From this, the two had formed a somewhat unlikely bond, which lead to Mr. Kim meeting Jeno as well through Renjun.

Jeno appreciated the request and the trust Mr. Kim put in him, but despite Jeno’s effortless demeanour when it came to coming top of the class, he didn’t want to miss the first day of classes. That was work he’d have to catch up on later in the week, and all basic information too.

Yet, what Jeno didn’t want even more was to defy Mr. Kim, who could be scary if he wanted to.

“00’ and mark hag

renjun tell mr kim ill be there

Renjun who lights up the world: thank god if you weren’t going i swear i was going to be castrated :D love you jeno

you told him to choose me didnt you >:(

Renjun who lights up the world: you know it :Di have shit to do today and you’re the perfect candidate for the job

fullsun ;P: “shit”

NaJaems: is it the freshmen orientation can i come too :( i wanna skip class

THANK GOD but email mr kim yourself

NaJaems: whats his email???????????

Minhyung: kim.dy@ncths.com

fullsun ;P: mark how do u know that

Minhyung: A) I take Physics!!! Do none of u know that B) I’ve composed too many emails on behalf of Renjun and his alien club

Renjun who lights up the world: like one

Minhyung: Five ive been counting :(

fine fine but can you guys take notes for me

[inserts image of schedule]

Renjun who lights up the world: k im in eng lit and algrebra 2, will do

fullsun ;P: ill do notes for korean

Minhyung: World history

chem? anyone?

okay its silent ill ask yukhei maybe”

Looking down at his phone, Jeno grudgingly made his way to homeroom, his backpack swinging from side to side, hanging from his shoulder, and his hair messier than it had ever been in Freshman year. The hallways were loud and Jeno’s mind was a mess. Before Jeno could look up from his phone, he felt himself bump into another student.

“Ow.”

“Fuck, sorry.” Jeno swore under his breath. This day was getting even more irritating than it was just a moment ago. He looked up to see an unfamiliar face: a skinny boy, taller than him, in a flannel over a white shirt, with messy dark hair. God, he was cute. Next to him was another boy that Jeno didn’t recognize with hair an ungodly shade of green. They seemed like they were talking before the disaster that was Jeno disturbed their conversation.

“No, sorry. It’s okay I wasn’t looking at where I was walking either. You know, I was just talking to my friend here–”

“Zhong Chenle!” The green-haired boy jumped in.

“Right, my friend, and I wasn’t paying attention. I really should be the one to apologize, it’s _not_ your fault.” The boy kept rambling on, trying to apologize.

The boy’s rambling was amusing enough that it almost made Jeno smile. He was definitely a freshman, their conversation revealed that much, “You don’t have to apologize. We can both take responsibility. Um. Yeah, see you later?”

The boy nodded in rapid motions, “Right, um. I’m Jisung.” He awkwardly fumbled around.

Jeno laughed, he had never seen anyone as clumsy and awkward as the freshman standing in front of him. “Jeno. Okay, I really have to get to class now but see you around!” He hurriedly waved to the two freshmen before scrambling to class.

Replaying the conversation, Jeno couldn’t help but laugh secretly to himself. As he walked away, he caught a trace of the two’s conversation.

“What was that about?” With both hands, Chenle shook Jisung’s shoulders.

“How would I know? That was.”

“Weird?”

“Yeah. Weird. What does he mean when he says he’ll see us later?”

“He was talking to you. He meant he’d see _you_ later.”

They were right, the interaction was weird, yet somehow, as the second period approached, all Jeno could think about was that name: Jisung, and those brown eyes, and his messy bangs, and the flannel, and the freshman’s soft voice.

“Lee.” Jeno was broken out of his reverie by Renjun, poking him with a sharp 2B pencil.

“Hm?”

“Your glasses are sliding down and you look like you’re sleeping with your eyes open.”

“What?” Suddenly overly conscious of the state he was in, Jeno slid a hand to his face, pushing his glasses up, “I look fine.” He denied.

“Whatever you say.”

“Hmm…” _‘Jisung. Jisung, Jisung, Jisung.’_ Jeno took a deep breath.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok so a little bit of a short backstory :-) i had fun writing the text convos jhkhsdkh  
> thank u for everyone who commented and gave kudos, reading the comments really made my day and motivated me to keep writing. the kudos r really nice too, knowing there are ppl out there who appreciate this. tysm!! ily all!


	5. the kiss

Jisung had been to Jeno’s house numerous times, once for a Wii Sports tournament with the gang, another time when Jeno’s mom invited them all to eat dinner and other times when they would just designate Jeno’s house as the hangout spot. Despite that, Jisung had never been to Jeno’s house alone, with just the two of them. For some reason, it felt different. The orange lighting of the house’s porch brought upon a feeling of intimacy, one that Jisung felt strange sharing with Jeno of all people.

Opening the door, Jeno beckoned Jisung inside with a kind smile on his face, a look that Jisung rarely saw on Jeno, well at least, directed at him. In their 3 years of sort-of friendship, Jisung recalled looking over at Jeno, and every time, Jeno would have a straight face, as if he was trying to suppress something, as if he was trying to intentionally be  _ distant _ with Jisung. And before today, they had barely held a proper conversation, one that didn’t feel super awkward with actual eye contact. Jisung was surprised he had spent all these years not properly befriending Jeno of all people, Jeno who was friendly with everyone, who had kind eyes and a laugh that sounded like post-cereal milk.

Jisung liked Jeno. But somehow he couldn’t agree more with what Jeno had said: about them never having the opportunity to really befriend each other. Jisung wondered if it was his fault. How come Jeno never had trouble befriending Chenle, or some of the other freshmen at their school? How come it was only Jisung who Jeno didn’t want to get to know? Was it his fault?

“So… this is my house.”

Still somewhat deep in thought, Jisung gave Jeno a polite smile, “I know.”

Slipping off his shoes, Jeno gestured at the hallway that led to his room, “You know what my room looks like right?”

Jisung nodded, neatly placing his shoes on the rack.

As they slipped into Jeno’s room, Jisung recalled the familiar scene from the times he had been there before. It reminded Jisung of friendship, of all the good things about high school, of the ecstasy of laughing so hard your stomach hurt. But somehow, Jeno’s room that was the background for many of their hangouts had also changed. Like memories left untouched until they became dusty, Jeno’s room reminded Jisung of how little the seven of them hung out now, how high-pitched laughs were easily replaced with tired groans as they neared graduation. Textbooks scattered Jeno’s room in place of snacks and games, and this change Jisung saw reflected in Jeno. Sure he wasn’t the slightly moody teen he was in sophomore year anymore, but Jeno had also lost some of his exuberance. When Jeno smiled, he had smiled really brightly, but now Jeno’s smiles were shadows of what they used to be, soft and kind, but also so subdued.

Jisung thought Jeno needed someone to comfort him. Someone to return all the smiles he had given throughout his lifetime.

Jisung, who was kneeling on the floor, unpacking all his papers in the midst of thoughts, looked up at Jeno, who was sitting on his bed.

“What?” Jeno stared back.

Jisung shook his head, “It’s nothing. Let’s get to work.” He smiled, but his smile was distracted.

Jeno nodded, “Right,” slipping on the floor next to Jisung, sitting with his knees to his chest.

Jisung opened his laptop and started typing.

“So we need all the variables, um and the hypothesis, oh and Mr. Lee expects us to have all the apparatus ready by next lesson so that too-” Jeno started making a mental checklist of all the tasks they had to go through before Jisung cut him off.

Jisung turned his head to look at Jeno, with a warm gaze that almost felt like it pierced Jeno, “Jeno.”

“Hm?”

“Do you ever feel tired? Or empty?”

Taken aback by the strange question, Jeno responded, “In what way?”

“I don’t know, it just seems like. Like you give so much to everybody all the time and you get nothing in return. You’re always all smiles and even when you’re exhausted you’re helping somebody with their homework, or I don’t know, walking someone’s dogs.”

Jeno slowly gaped at Jisung, “I-”

“God. Jeno. You’ve been doing that to me all evening too. You should have been frustrated. Hell, if you had been angry I would’ve felt slightly better. I was yelling at you and shit, accusing you of-” Jisung laughed, “Wanting to work with Lucas. And sure you were angry for like a second. But you comforted me, and you drove me to your job and helped me get my mind off things.”

“No, I was doing that because I wanted to, not because I felt obligated to, Ji.”

Jisung pushed the computer off his lap and scooted closer to Jeno, until he was sitting facing Jeno. Taking both Jeno’s hands in his, clasping them.

Jeno’s face burned red, “Ji? What are you doing?”

“Tell me. Tell me all the shitty emotions you’ve had to keep to yourself throughout the years.”

Jisung’s eyes were so sincere, prying his way into Jeno’s lives in a way that somehow didn’t feel intrusive, but deeply caring—it was a care that Jeno had never been shown in his life. Nobody had ever cared to ask him if he was okay, they just immediately assumed that he was. Looking up into Jisung’s doe-eyes, a tear escaped down Jeno’s cheek. What was wrong with him? Was all the stress getting to his head? What was Jeno doing in his room, with Jisung, crying like a baby instead of working on the project they had to do? But he couldn’t help it. Jisung made Jeno want to unveil all his hidden emotions, all the pain that was brewing in his chest.

“Jeno. I’m sorry I made you cry.” A hurt frown crossed Jisung’s face.

Jeno shook his head, “No. Thank you, Ji.”

Jisung’s hands, and Jisung’s gaze and Jisung; they were so warm, and so comforting. Jeno wanted to be there forever, sitting there, drowning in the comfortable silence. And before he knew it, Jeno was burrowing his nose into Jisung’s flannel, the same one he wore on the first day Jeno had met the younger. Jisung smelled like clean laundry, like petrichor, like old books, like all the comforting things.

Jisung wrapped his arms around the older, Jeno’s skin was afire, his tears that wet Jisung’s shirt were warm. Trying to soothe the boy in his arms, Jisung gently stroked Jeno’s soft dark hair, his hand brushing against the nape of Jeno’s neck. Here was this other warm human being collapsed in Jisung’s arms, and here it felt like they were sharing all their pains with each other, all the pain that radiated off the body heat each of them gave off. Jisung closed his eyes, his hand unconsciously stroking Jeno’s hair on its own.

It felt so new, but so right. They fit together like two puzzle pieces made for each other.

The both of them were already asleep, sitting in the same position they had been in earlier, pressed against each other.

Jeno’s eyes fluttered open, immediately remembering what had happened and becoming aware of Jisung’s right hand, which had halted, pressed against the back of Jeno’s hair.

“Ji?” He whispered softly. Paper and files were askew around them, like a fence protecting them from all the evil things.

“Hm.” Jisung let out a quiet groan, but he was still dead asleep.

Jeno realized how tired both of them had been to fall asleep so easily. It had been a long day for both Jisung and Jeno. What with that stupid announcement at lunch that earned them both mocking laughs from the others, to their heated conversation in the men’s bathroom, to driving in Jeno’s car and waiting for his shift to be over.

Staying in that position, Jeno moved his head so he could whisper closer to Jisung’s ear, “Ji? Do you want me to drive you home?”

Jisung barely shook his head, but it was enough for Jeno to feel the motion, “Uh-uh. Can I stay here?” He replied, his voice slurred.

“It’s late, you have to go home.” Jeno replied, concerned.

“Just let me sleep on your bed for a while. I can go home in a bit.”

Jeno reluctantly complied, nodding, “Okay…If that’s what you want Ji.” Jeno’s hands hovered hesitantly above Jisung’s waist before he decided on carrying the boy up. Jisung was surprisingly heavy, he was tall, after all, but Jeno’s athletic build assisted him in hoisting the boy up onto the bed.

With eyes still closed, Jisung snickered, “You know I could’ve stood up myself, right?”

Embarrassed, Jeno defended his decision, “Well I thought you were dead asleep, you could’ve told me that you know, so I could save the energy.”

With little to no energy, Jisung lazily patted the spot next to him on the bed.

“What?”

“Get on here, lie next to me.”

Jeno blushed, he felt a little scandalous, like he was doing something wrong by being with Jisung. But as if the younger read his thoughts, Jisung replied with a curt, “It’s okay, cus’ I like you.”

“Huh?”

“I want you to sleep next to me because I like you, Lee Jeno.”

“Since when?” The confession was abrupt and Jeno didn’t know how to feel. Butterflies were swarming his stomach, and he felt like his whole body was jittering.

“I don’t know. I just like you. Isn’t that enough? Since today maybe, or since yesterday, or since before that, since the first time we met each other. I wouldn’t know, but I like you.” Jisung’s soft warm voice filled up the entire room, and with that Jeno’s entire heart was filled as well.

“I like you too, Park Jisung.” Jeno murmured. It was like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders: because his biggest secret had just been revealed.

“Then come here and lie next to me, until 10 and then I’ll leave.”

“Okay.” Jeno flopped down next to Jisung. Lying in the dim light of his room, he studied all of Jisung’s features. Jisung’s cute nose. Jisung’s cheeks. Jisung’s slight smile even when he was sleeping. Jisung’s soft messy hair. Jisung’s eyelashes,. Jisung’s ears. Jisung’s everything.

Startling Jeno, Jisung rolled over on his side to face Jeno, “Hey, kiss me.”

“What?”

Jisung giggled, “Kiss me.”

“C’mon, Ji, you’re just tired, you don’t want  _ me  _ to kiss you.”

“No, I do, I really do.”

And so Jeno complied with Jisung’s request. Taking his index to gently take Jisung’s chin, he closed in on Jisung’s lips. They were so soft and unlike the rest of Jisung, slightly cold. His cheeks brushed against Jisung’s.

Jisung giggled as he felt Jeno’s lips on his own and Jeno’s long eyelashes brushing against his cheeks. He brought his left hand to Jeno’s neck, just slightly above Jeno’s collarbone. It was warm and smooth.

Jeno delightedly squirmed, the sensation tickled, but oh how Park Jisung could make him feel  _ things _ . Feel so in love and feel like he only wanted to kiss one boy again and again for his entire life.

With his other hand, Jisung played with Jeno’s hair, until his fingers were tangled in the dark locks. He couldn’t help but laugh into the kiss, everything felt so nice.

Even after the kiss broke and both their lips felt empty without each other’s, their noses brushed against each other’s, as they lied there until 10, as Jisung had promised.

Standing up and still on Cloud 9, Jisung gathered his stuff, stuffing them into his backpack without care. He took a moment to study,  _ really _ study Jeno, in all the older boy’s glory.

“Drive me home?” Jisung smiled.

“Hm.” Jeno grinned.

That night all both of them could think of was The Kiss. How they wished they could replay that experience again and again infinitely. And maybe, just maybe, they could.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> holy shit i wanted to write this chapter since forever im trying to update everyday since ik yall r waiting :D  
> thank you so much to everyone who read this and i appreciate it so much, i cant emphasize enough how much that means to me  
> also i barely proofread bcus im so excited to publish a chapter every time so i apologize for any mistakes kskhhskfhe  
> have a nice day all <3


	6. signature

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you so much for reading y'all!! reading your comments made me want to shed tears of happiness honestly, and so i was motivated to update (sorry for not doing so earlier). tysm for reading, hope u enjoy this one as well!!

**Jeno’s Sophomore Year, Freshmen Orientation**

Jeno and Jaemin made their way to the track field come the second period, Jaemin practically hanging off of Jeno, their arms linked (Jaemin insisted) and attached like glue (Jaemin also insisted). The pink-haired boy was practically skipping, his bright head of hair bouncing up and down much to the amusement of everyone around them. Jeno, not so much, his walk was akin to that of someone who had just been told their childhood pet died. It was hot and sunny, and the last place Jeno wanted to be was the track field, where the added chatter of a million freshmen would worsen his impending headache.

The two were a strange sight to see, their energy levels completely contrasting each other’s like a friendship trope that could only come out of AO3 (don’t ask how Jeno knew of the website, he might have just visited it a few too many times to read anime fics when there was nothing else to do amidst the summer heat).

As they neared the track field and were greeted by the heads of many nervous freshmen, Jaemin let go of Jeno’s arm and bounced over to where Mr. Kim was already standing with an outfit that was almost a little too casual. Sunglasses and a white tucked-in button-up shirt that could _just_ use about one more button, well, buttoned. Not that Jeno was staring.

“Hi everyone, I’m Na Jaemin, a sophomore and I’ll be one of your tour guides today!” Jaemin had already started introducing himself enthusiastically before Jeno could start scurrying over where the other was standing.

Jeno opened his mouth, before he could speak Jaemin had already gone on “And this is Lee Jeno, also a sophomore, who will be your other tour guide! Welcome to NCT High!”

Mr. Kim stiffly but amusedly clapped, followed suit by a few or more confused freshmen. Yes, Jaemin was weird, and it was evident that the freshmen thought that too from their curious eyes staring at Jaemin’s cotton candy hair and his pearly smile.

Jeno pushed up his glasses, swept out the bangs covering his eyes, stood up a little bit straighter, and took in a deep breath. He needed to be in professional mode right now. Jeno forced a friendly smile at the freshmen, accompanied by an equally awkward wave.

“How this will work is that Jeno will be leading the first portion of the tour, we’ll touch on all the important places on our way to the classroom where I’ll give you all a presentation. Jaemin and I will be standing at the back of the line to supervise while we do so. On the way back here to the track field, Jaemin will be leading the rest of the tour while Jeno and I stand at the back.” Mr. Kim explained, arms crossed in front of his chest and a confident smile on his face, “Does that make sense? Any questions?”

A chorus of “No”’s responded back.

“Good.” Mr. Kim gestured at Jeno, “If you could please take us to Mr. Moon’s classroom right now, he’s on break so we’ll be using it.”

Jeno nodded, going to the front. As he started to give out instructions, he found himself unconsciously scanning the crowd for a familiar face. _Jisung’s face_. The name had stuck with him like stubborn chewing gum under a desk since the incident, and no matter how much Jeno tried to shake it out of his head, he couldn’t. And he couldn’t understand why he wanted to see a certain random freshman so badly. “So if you could all form a line preferably double-file in front of me, we’ll be starting the tour soon.”

As he waited for the freshmen to form the line, his eyes scanned over a set of brown eyes and a slightly aloof smile at the back of the line. Jeno tried to tear his eyes away, focusing back on whoever was at the front of the line. He knew that he couldn’t do this to himself, he couldn’t let himself have a crush on a freshman, it would be the death of him. Right, a dumb crush was what it was, and it was Jeno’s duty to push that dumb crush to the furthest possible corners of his mind. If he could manage it.

\---

“So to your left, you can see the canteen, we’ll be passing through it to get to the main building.”

The tour had gone smoothly thus far, they had covered the sports complex and the parking lot, but now Jeno was starting to notice something that he hoped he hadn’t. Jeno wanted to slap himself.

The pink head of hair at the back, in between a bright green head of hair and a dark one. Chatter made its way to Jeno’s ears, he tried to ignore it, but it seemed almost impossible. He went back to the tour “As you all can see, this is where you line up to buy your lunches, I guess you all get the drill.”

“So you guys transferred here from the same school? And you were both best friends before?” _Laughter_ , “Aww that’s so cute! I wish I had had someone I knew when I started high school. But fortunately, I found a really great friend group here, you guys might find one too.”

God, Jaemin was so loud, it was difficult to ignore his giddy voice, even if they were separated by more than a few freshmen.

“Hm. Chenle and I have stuck together since elementary school but we’d like some other friends as well. It’s been a little lonely with just the two of us.”

Jeno’s ears perked up, he continued talking and explaining, trying to block out the millions of thoughts that were coming at him like asteroids.

“Is Jeno your friend?” Chenle’s distinct voice asked.

Jaemin laughed, “Yeah, we’re pretty close. Our group is us, two other sophomores, and a junior.”

“Oh.” Jisung murmured under his breath, just loud enough for Jeno to catch.

_What in the world did “Oh.” mean?_

“Hm?” Jaemin sounded.

“It’s nothing!”

Chenle laughed, “Ignore him, he can be pretty weird at times, says random things really quietly I have no idea what he’s saying.”

Jeno saw Jaemin drape his arm over Chenle’s shoulder. Oh god, Jeno couldn’t believe Jaemin was being _this_ touchy with a boy he barely knew, at this rate, Chenle might’ve just been convinced that Jaemin liked the boy, before even getting to know that flirtatious was just Jaemin’s middle name.

“You’re pretty weird too.” Jaemin giggled.

Chenle blushed, shrugging.

“Look at your green hair, if I was a goat—you know those goats in that story?—if I was a goat I’d want to live on top of your hair.”

“Like it was a hill?” Jisung asked, laughing.

Jeno felt something explode in his stomach, like a million fluttering butterflies were flapping in there right at once. Damn you Na Jaemin for making Jisung laugh with your not-funny irritating flirtation. Damn you Na Jaemin for tagging along to the tour and making Jeno suffer like this.

Jeno was, well, Jeno was jealous. He wanted to be back there joking with them too, getting to know the boy that had been haunting his minds for hours on end. And no matter how hard Jeno tried, he couldn’t _not_ be bitter. This was not like Jeno at all. He never wanted to think of today ever again.

The tour continued on, with a befuddled Jeno alternating between explaining the layout of their school and being confused at his own strange and persistent emotions. Before he knew it, Jeno and the group of freshmen along with Jaemin and Mr. Kim had arrived at Mr. Moon, the History teacher’s classroom. Jeno was relieved, sure, he would still be subject to whatever teenage hormones were going through his brain right now, but at least he wouldn’t have to juggle a tour while doing it.

As they entered the classroom and Mr. Kim adjusted the projector while all the freshmen sat down at desks, Jaemin beckoned Jeno over.

“Psst! Lee!” He was sitting next to the two freshmen, who had made themselves comfortable at the front of the classroom, near the board.

Jeno pretended not to be flustered as he nodded at Jaemin. Unfortunately, he couldn’t help but catch the glance of Jisung; the boy was glancing up at him with innocent curiosity, and he was doing so in a way that indicated he couldn’t tell that Jeno was _very_ much aware of his gaze.

“There, sit next to Jisung. This is Jisung and Chenle by the way.” Jaemin told him, not to his surprise.

Jeno nodded, blushing, “Right, I know. We met this morning.”

Jaemin gave him an amused quizzical look but didn’t pry further.

Jeno pulled out the chair next to Jisung and sat down. He couldn’t help but notice how _red_ his entire face was. Would the younger notice? He hoped not. He stared down at his hand to avoid the looks of everyone around him.

“Hi.” Jisung murmured shyly.

Jeno froze, “Oh, hi.” Jeno responded with an awkward smile, it was more a show of teeth than a smile, really.

“Um, you’re good at giving tours.” The boy awkwardly laughed.

Jeno, daring to look up, noticed the younger who looked away, the tips of his ear crimson and on full display. Suddenly, Jeno was aware of their close proximity. He felt like the only person in the world who noticed how their shoulders were _that_ close to brushing against each other and how their knees slightly touched underneath the table. He found it hard to breathe. Chenle and Jaemin were practically in their own world, taking no notice, and neither was everybody else.

Jeno, flustered, almost forgot to respond, “Oh! Um… it’s nothing. I’ve done a lot of them and you just have to explain what everything is.”

“It’s still pretty cool though!” Jisung shyly smiled at Jeno.

Jeno felt like he might have had a heart attack from the way the younger’s lips curled up slightly. And if their conversation had continued he wouldn’t have known how to act. Fortunately, it didn’t, as they both turned their attention to Mr. Kim’s presentation.

At the end, Mr. Kim beckoned Jeno over to the front. Jeno felt like he could finally breathe, not being just millimeters away from possibly the cutest boy he had ever seen (he sometimes wondered what was wrong with him, what made him fall in love with every single person he met).

“Jeno, I need you to hand out the student handbooks for all of them. One each.”

Jeno nodded, walking over to the teacher’s desk where a large stack of student handbooks were ready for being passed out.

“Everyone! Line up in front of the desk here and Jeno will be handing you a student handbook.”

As the freshmen passed through, Jeno soullessly gave them a student handbook each, before he looked up to see Jaemin, who flashed puppy eyes at him, “One for me too?” He asked in an irritatingly sweet voice, blinking.

Jeno sighed, mouthing “Fuck you,” careful not to let Mr. Kim see.

Jaemin laughed, dropping the act, sticking his tongue out at Jeno, “Love you too Jen,” he joked before moving out of the line.

The last two student handbooks to be handed out. To none other than Chenle the green-haired boy and his adorable best friend Jisung.

Jisung avoided Jeno’s eyes, was he blushing? Jeno shook the thought out of his head, there was no way Jisung was blushing.

“So!”

Snapped out of his frozen state by the loud voice of Chenle, Jeno looked at the boy, “Right! Um here you go.” He took one from the stack, handing it to Chenle.

“Wait, can you sign it so we have proof?”

Jeno was confused, “Proof?” He reiterated.

“That we talked to you before you never remember us again.” Chenle laughed, “We heard you’re popular around here.”

“Me? Popular?”

Chenle nodded enthusiastically, Jisung stood there awkwardly.

“So you want me to sign it?” Jeno repeated, confused.

Chenle nodded again, also enthusiastically.

“I don’t have a pen on me, sorry.”

“Kiss it then.”

“ _What_?”

Chenle laughed, “Just kiss it since you don’t have a pen.”

“You want me to kiss the student handbook?”

Chenle nodded. Jisung almost seemed to be smiling, as he tried to contain a laugh.

Hesitantly, Jeno brought the student handbook to his lips and kissed it. He had no idea what he was doing, why he was doing such a stupid favor, but Jeno was a people-pleaser, even if that meant doing the dumbest things.

Chenle laughed out loud, “Now give it to Jisung.”

“What?” Jeno almost exclaimed out of confusion.

“I don’t need one, all the rules are online anyways. Give it to Jisung.”

Shyly, he handed the student handbook to Jisung, who held it. Jeno could see Jisung’s hand brushing over the spot where he had touched his lips. Jeno felt dizzy, everything felt so surreal, he had no idea what he was doing.

Jisung looked up and laughed, smiling, “Thank you,” He giggled. Quietly, he murmured under his breath, “For giving me your kiss.”

Jeno bit the bottom of his lips to stop himself from screaming right then and there. He nodded, trying to keep his cool, “You guys have weird requests but, you’re welcome?”

Mr. Kim called out from the door, “C’mon, you three! Let’s go now! Jaemin’s already started!”

Jeno scrambled to the door.

“Smells like strawberries.” He heard a soft voice say behind him on the way out.

_His strawberry lip balm._

“Does it, now?” An amused voice replied.

Jeno could almost hear the sound of the other nodding, but more than anything, he could hear, clear as day, the thumping of his heartbeat, and the conversation that replayed again and again in his head of his peculiar conversation with Jisung, etched into his memory forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> once again, i hope u enjoyed that! keep your eyes open for another chapter this week, maybe? i'm really excited to continue writing this fic!! ily all! :D


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